Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Local Events
I have been very busy this Summer, but I wanted to quickly share a few things. This Thursday and Friday I will be teaching some fabulous Papercrafting Certification classes in Eugene. If you have not seen a list of all the classes that we have open, we have many on our website:

CHA Sketch
Meanwhile, I wanted to share a simple, quick drawing I did last week while I was at CHA, coloring in the Copic booth. It is always such a neat experience to see my papercrafting friends and meet with so much talent. I had a little time to work on my own doodles while I was helping out, so this little guy came from a free moment. It is nice to have a chance to draw something for myself every now and then, so I don't have a tutorial.

I drew this little dinosaur with a .8 multiliner, onto X-Press It cardstock. He is colored with YG11, Y21, YG63, B02, C3, BG10, and B00. I used the colorless blender to fade the gray shadow and the BG10 sky out to the white of the paper.

This week, I hope you find some time to doodle and color for no reason but to have fun!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Water and reflectionsI was sitting at my desk, thinking how much fun it would be to go wading in a stream, when I thought of this image. Coloring it can either be simple or complex. I am going to show you an advanced way of coloring it today. For this example, the light is coming basically from above.

I started with the water. I started with B12, feathered out from the center. Then I pushed back towards the image with a lot of colorless blender. This is how I achieved the really soft, trailing edge that looks almost watercolored. Then, I streaked in some BG15 and B45.

The base color on his skin is E000, and the pool toy is colored with YG05. I added a hint of shadow on the pool toy with B12, the same color I used on the water. I did this to tie the shadow colors into the reflected color of the blue of the water.

Next, I darken his skin tones and deepen the contrast on the shadows on the pool toy. Skin tones were layered E11 and E13. Notice his face is almost all in shadow, since his head is tilted down to look at the fish. His ears stick out and catch more ambient light, so they stay light.

I deepened the shadow on the pool toy with B45. I colored the spots with Y06. As the light is strong, I kept the coloring very simple. At the end I will add highlights back in as pure white to show the shiny, reflective inflatable toy.

Compare this third image to the last one. Look closely at the skin tones. I added B12 to the underside of his face, arms, and hair. Again, i used B12 since htat was the base blue I used on the water.

I added highlights with Y02 to the tops of his ears, tip of his nose, and top of the arms.

I added another layer of E13 to his face around the nose to darken it even more, but I left off coloring the nose, to keep it looking like it sticks out of the face.

I colored the popsicle with RV21 and RV06. I added a blue shadow to the popsicle with B12 as well. The fish is colored with C5 and BV00, with hints of RV21 and B12 reflections. I also added a faint highlight of Y02 to the fish's head.

When you look at this image, compared to the second one, it is easy to see how contrast helps make the boy look more dimensional. His face and arm on the toy, in particular, look much more rounded.

Here is the final, color-corrected version of the artwork. On the final image I finished coloring his hair with E11 and Y02. (I started with the B12 simply to show you where it was on the hair. Otherwise, you could add it after you color the hair as well.) Then, I added Copic Opaque White to create the final white highlights and reflections on the pool toy, and water. Also, I added white streaks into his hair with opaque white, rather than trying to leave those fine details white.

The line image was drawn with a 0.2mm Multiliner SP and printed on color laser copier paper to be colored. I hope this helped you, have a great week, and I will see you next week at CHA in Chicago!

About Me

I am the North American Product Director for Copic Markers, working at Imagination International, Inc. I have written 4 books on coloring with Copics in conjunction with Colleen Schaan. I used to design stamps for Our Craft Lounge. The things I post on this blog are my personal opinions or techniques I have come across over the years- I will try to give credit where credit is due. These ramblings do not necessarily reflect the general opinions of Copic Markers/Imagination International Inc.
my direct e-mail is marianne@copicmarker.com

Subscribe to my blog!

Copic Glossary

ABS/Airbrush System- Copic Airbrush System. Works with either a compressor or Copic aircans. Uses either Sketch or Copic Markers. 1234TroubleshootingAlcohol Markers- Copic markers are alcohol (ethanol) based dye markers, that are known for being low-odor and giving smooth, vibrant colors. Since they are a dye, they will fade in bright lights, but they are acid free on most surfaces. Anything with alcohol in it will react with these inks. Any Copic marker type is refillable with replaceable tips. They will not cause paper to pill when going over it many times, nor will they dissolve photocopies.

Color Saturation- This is the first digit on a color name. Colors that are 00's, 10's, or 20's will be more vibrant (B05, G16, R29), while colors that are in the 70's, 80's or 90's have more gray added (B95, BG78, G94) and are closer to the neutral/earthy end of the color spectrum. Note: E (Earth) markers don't necessarily follow this rule.

Color Group- A sequential group of colors within one color family with the same first digit (i.e. E30, E31, E33, E34, E35, E37, E39) where numbers ending in 0 are the lightest and 9 is the darkest, also called Natural Blending Group

Copic Certification- These are classes for teachers, store owners, or designers who want to learn techniques and advanced tips on using Copic markers, Airbrushing, etc. for papercrafting. Each class is about 7 hrs, and will be held regionally. Check here for listings of upcoming classes.

Spica Glitter Pens - also called atyou Spica pens. These fun, pigment based pens are filled with micro glass flakes, giving a very subtle, elegant sparkle. Keep stored flat, though if they are giving you troubles, try storing them point down overnite.

Various Ink- Also called Refill Ink or Re-inkers. Each bottle holds 25 cc's of ink. 322 colors available, empty bottle for mixing custom colors also available. Great for making alcohol ink effects, such as Faux Stone or covering large areas. When you see streaking in your work it's time to refill. You can refill directly from your bottle of ink, or you can use a booster needle. Try not to overfill.For refilling dry markers:Ciao- add 1 to 1.5 cc's ink Sketch- 2 cc's Copic 2-3 cc's Wide 3-4 cc's

Using this site for Classes

The content from each post is intended as tutorials and directions as well as useful information. If you would like to use these tutorials in a workshop you are more than welcome to, just give credit to this blog site and other suppliers mentioned in each post.

Thank You!

Marianne

Color Disclaimer

Colors on the screen do not match colors printed in color charts, and neither will match the marker colors in real life. To get a feel of what the colors will look like it's best if you get an actual color swatch.

To request a printed color chart, general catalog, Stamping with Copic Brochure, or Airbrushing with Copic Brochure you can e-mail orders@copicmarker.com (remember, printed charts aren't accurate)

Save a tree, get it digital!For digital copies of the above brochures please look through the Copic Library. Don't see what you need? e-mail me at marianne@copicmarker.com

Check the library also for refilling guides, airbrushing set-ups, and other useful literature.

Copic Fine Art Instructors

Click here to purchase your favorite Copic Products

Books by Marianne Walker

Shadows & Shading: A beginner's guide to lighting placementThis book is for teaching you where to accurately put shadows and highlights when coloring with any medium. Includes clear lighting guides to help you plan where to place your shadows & highlights. Distributed by Copic/Imagination International, Inc.

Copic Coloring GuideWritten by Colleen Schaan & Marianne Walker. This is a beginner book for those interested in papercrafting and learning basic techniques for using Copic Markers. Published by Annie's Attic/DRG

Copic Coloring Guide Level 2: NatureWritten by Colleen Schaan & Marianne Walker. This is is the second in the series. Learn techniques for coloring things in nature. For papercrafters. Published by Annie's Attic/DRG

Copic Coloring Guide Level 3: PeopleWritten by Colleen Schaan & Marianne Walker. This is is the third in the series. Learn techniques for coloring people, hair, and clothing. For papercrafters. Published by Annie's Publishing

Check your local store for these books, otherwise they are available at many popular online retailers.